Chemistry
by XxTsuki-chan13xX
Summary: It's Tsuki's first day as a lab assistant at an organization simply known as the Institute. Just as she begins to think that life here will be peaceful, she's proven to be dead wrong! Handsome guys,crazy coworkers, and a sadistic boss all strive to turn her life upside down. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_I didn't ask for this. Of all people, why me? _Thoughts similar to this bounced around in Tsuki's head as she rode the train heading toward her new job and new life. She accepted a job at a laboratory that was far from her homeland. _I just had to be interested in sciences investigating magic. I just had to decide to become a lab assistant. Now I'm a world away from my home, my family, and my friends. At least Baldroy is with me. _

Tsuki had befriended Bard at one of the new member orientation sessions she had to attend a few months back. She was instantly captivated by his mussed dirty blond hair, aqua colored eyes, well muscled body and undeniable rustic charm. Unbeknownst to the man in question, Baldroy had Tsuki wrapped around his little finger the first time he flashed a smile her way.

A male voice interrupted the young woman's inner pouting session. "Are you alright there, Tsuki?" Baldroy asked with a concerned look on his face. Tsuki snapped herself out of her little pity party. "Umm, yeah I'm fine, Baldroy" she said. The older man chuckled. "Hey now I told you to call me 'Bard'. You're nervous about being so far away from home right?"

Tsuki nodded shyly in response. Bard smiled. "Don't worry. You'll be on the same grounds as me so I'll be able to check in with you now and then," he promised. The raven haired woman returned his smile. "Thanks, Bard."

As she muttered words of bashful gratitude, the train came to a halt. "Ready?" the blond asked with a smirk. Clearly he was amused by Tsuki's worrying. "As I'll ever be," she sighed. Tsuki piled out of the train along with the other passengers and walked side by side with her friend to the Institute.

The Institute had an intimidating façade. The black and silver stone structure had the likeness of a European medieval castle. Interminable walkways, manicured courtyards, and grand archways composed Tsuki's new home. Goosebumps speckled her caramel colored skinned as her anxiety threatened to skyrocket.

Bard stopped in front of some black granite steps in front of one of the department buildings. "This is your building, love. Mine is on the other side of the grounds so I really need to get going. The head of your department should be waiting to meet you inside."

Tsuki's hands were trembling at the thought of being left on her own. Noticing that his companion had gotten so nervous that her feelings were visible, Bard took the girl's hands between his own and kissed her on the forehead. In a soothing voice he said, "I know everything will be fine if it's you, Tsuki. You're pretty much the smartest person I've ever met and people can't help but fall in love with your personality. If you ever need me I'll come running."

Tsuki could feel the blood rush to her face. Pure amusement was reflected in Baldroy's brilliant, turquoise eyes. He released her hands, digging a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it. The man took a drag from the cigarette between his lips, sporting a roguish grin. "See ya' later," Bard called out over shoulder as he strolled across the courtyard to the military building. Before Tsuki could utter a coherent response, he was gone.

The young woman took a minute to calm down lest she were to walk in and meet her new boss while her face was on fire. She took a deep breath. _I should get going too. Bard's on my side even if he's not here with me. Who knows, this might be a lot more fun than I thought_. Tsuki continued to think optimistically as she slung her bag over her shoulder and dashed up the steps. With another deep breath, Tsuki summoned enough courage to enter the building.

The inside of the facility was nothing less than exquisite. The floors were a sand colored hardwood. The golden tint of the walls complemented the silk crape fabric painstakingly arranged into the shapes of a dragon, a phoenix, a butterfly, and various other creatures. The commons area was spacious like the lobby of a luxury hotel. The room was fairly quiet except for the hum of a few people chatting and the trickling of the fountain in the center of the room.

A woman with bright red hair sitting on the edge of the fountain caught Tsuki's attention and motioned for the girl to sit beside her. Tsuki smiled and made her way over. _She seems nice, _the young woman thought. _Bard was right. I have nothing to worry about. _

Tsuki took a seat of her own next to the smiling woman on the gleaming black and gold fountain only to discover that she wasn't exactly what everyone would call a "woman". This person appeared to be an effeminate male with lovely pale skin, bright green eyes, and an eye-catching red coat with high-heeled ankle boots to match.

"Good afternoon. I am Miss Grell Sutcliff," the man greeted pleasantly. "I haven't seen you around here before. Who might you be?" Tsuki bowed politely. Sensing that it would be easier to go with the flow, Tsuki decided to think of Grell as a woman. "I'm a new lab assistant for one of the departments. My name is Tsuki Amaterasu". Grell raised an eyebrow. "You mean 'tsuki' like the moon and 'Amaterasu' like the sun goddess?"He asked with a quizzical expression.

Tsuki avoided eye contact out of embarrassment. "My parents are a little strange. Please just call me 'Tsuki', Miss Sutcliff." Grell suppressed a giggle and smiled. "Alright then Tsuki, is there anything that you need help with?" The girl nodded. "Could you tell me where my department is?"

Grell's eyebrows knit together at Tsuki's question. "Certainly, darling, but truthfully your department head should be here to meet you. Which department do you belong to?"He asked. Tsuki fished out the identification papers issued to her by the Institute and handed them over to the red-head.

Grell's previous excitement intensified and blatant glee took its place. "Department 13!" he said in an animated tone. The red-head's reaction to her department assignment drop kicked all of Tsuki's hopes of any normalcy in her new life. Grell sighed dreamily, "I'll take you there." Tsuki was sure she heard him mutter something like 'lucky brat'. Sutcliff stood up and started down one of the hallways with a great deal of enthusiasm. Tsuki quickly followed but was definitely unnerved by her new acquaintance's shift in behavior.

Tsuki was lead down several more hallways. Each one belonged to a specific department. A lantern hung in each hallway and bore the color of the department. During their walk, Grell smiled as they passed a red and gold lantern. "I'm the head of this department. Department 9." The flamboyant man remarked, some warmth returning to his voice. It took a moment for Grell's words to sink in.

"You're a department head?!" Tsuki exclaimed. Before she could berate herself for being so informal with a superior officer, Grell burst out laughing. "Of course not, darling. I'm second in command. My dear Will is the boss."

Grell assured Tsuki that it was fine to be casual with him. The newcomer gave a sigh of relief. Miss Sutcliff was so kind to a complete stranger like her, even though he was such a high-ranking researcher. Tsuki couldn't help but wonder what her own boss was like.

"What kind of person is the head of department 13?" Tsuki asked innocently. Grell didn't answer right away. Tsuki felt the pit of her stomach go cold. Grell suddenly burst out," He's such an ice king! He's a beautiful tyrant who rules with an iron fist! An angelic devil!" The man's fire-red hair swung about as he danced while describing the head of department 13. Grell continued to ramble on and on about the man.

Tsuki had stopped listening to Miss Sutcliff some time ago. Grell's explanation was getting more and more uncomfortable as he went into detail about past encounters with Tsuki's boss. _From what Miss Sutcliff says, my boss seems like a very capable person that I can learn a lot from. However, he seems like he might be quick to use violence. _Tsuki worried inwardly as she pretended to listen to Grell's rambling.

"This is as far as I go," Grell announced, disrupting the younger woman's train of thought. The pair had stopped where the hall turned right. They had passed department 12 a while back so there were no doors other than supply closets. "Your department head has a restraining order against me." The red head explained. "For the time being, I'm not allowed anywhere near department 13." Grell said with a giggle.

_This guy must be a real demon. _Tsuki thought to herself_._ "Just walk down this hall and you'll find department 13." Tsuki thanked her superior for taking her this far. Grell gave an apologetic smile and placed a hand on his junior's shoulder. "If you ever need anything you know where to find me. If you really can't stand it here, there's always room in my department!" The man's encouragement did little to help reassure Tsuki.

With that farewell, Tsuki walked anxiously down the hallway to her department. Unlike the one she had left, this hall had candles lining the walls. It was comparatively darker here because the candles were the only light source. Tsuki stopped when she saw a black and silver lantern glowing intensely over a heavy door with a Goth script 13 on it. Just as she was about to knock, the door slid open.

A gorgeous man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties stood before her. He had silky black hair, bangs tastefully framing his face. The man was lean but he definitely had muscle obscured by a white dress shirt and black lab coat. He was about 6'1" so he towered over Tsuki who was 5'6" at best. Tsuki shivered as his crimson eyes bore into her soft brown ones. The stranger was a little intimidating. Even so, Tsuki thought he was handsome enough to rival Bard.

The man looked around and muttered, "I could've sworn that I heard Sutcliffe." He turned his attention back to Tsuki. "State your name," he commanded in a tone that was cold but not unpleasant. Tsuki wasn't unaffected by his silky voice but she answered confidently. "Tsuki Amaterasu, sir." The man raised an eyebrow. "Now that's a comical name. I was sure that there was a misprint in the paperwork."

The man's passive aggressive nature was clear in his patronizing tone. _No one's gonna miss this bastard if I kill him, right? _Tsuki mused. The man was unperturbed by Tsuki's glare and went on to introduce himself. "I am Sebastian Michaelis, the head of department 13."


	2. Chapter 2

A cloud of disappointment hung over Tsuki as department head Michaelis led her to the laboratory. Her new boss was far from the type of person she usually got along with. Sebastian was physically attractive but so far, that's the only positive thing the young woman could say about him.

The first glimpse of the department's research area brightened Tsuki's mood. Her inner scholar, and a bit of her inner nerd, couldn't help but feel exhilarated by the sight of books sprawled out over chic black and silver accented desks. Notes were scattered about, a different page was open on each sleek computer, tomes and ancient texts lined the bookshelves along the walls. It was the perfect picture of a bustling, productive workspace.

As Tsuki's excitement began to level out, she took a closer look at the office space. Putting aside her relief that unlike the hallway, the room was well-lit, she noticed that something was off. "Mr. Michaelis, where is everyone else?" the woman asked wearing a puzzled expression.

Sebastian let out a short, mirthless laugh. "Who else were you expecting?" The man's words were dripping with satire and Tsuki was fully aware of it. "I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't mock me. Where are the other members of department 13?" Tsuki asked through clenched teeth.

Sebastian's red eyes gleamed as he feigned innocence. "I would never mock you Miss Amateresu. Such rudeness would be absolutely unprofessional. That type of behavior is unbecoming of a department head."

_I can't decide between laughing in his face and punching this guy in the jaw._ Tsuki thought with a vein in her forehead throbbing in irritation. Sebastian was obviously taking pleasure in toying with the poor girl. Nonetheless, the man remained composed.

"To answer your question, there is no one else that you should expect. Aside from a stray black cat that occasionally makes an appearance, I am the sole member of department 13." The dark-haired man paused and turned around to face his new companion. Tsuki almost shivered from the sudden intensity of Sebastian's gaze as he looked her up and down. The enchanting smile Sebastian gave her made the black-haired woman uneasy. Tsuki was increasingly unsettled as the man's long legs carried him across the room. He came closer and closer, closing the distance between them until he was looming over her.

Sebastian leaned in so closely that his lips were almost touching Tsuki's ear. He whispered into the woman's ear in a low, sensual tone. "I suppose I'm not the only one in this department, now am I?" A chuckle rumbled in his chest. "I hope we get along well, Miss Tsuki Amateresu."

Tsuki turned her head, heart pounding, becoming all too aware of how close Sebastian's lips were to her own. The girl's face was dusted with a light pink. Tsuki wasn't accustomed to any kind of intimacy with men and her seductive boss seemed to notice as he pulled away, lips curling into a teasing smirk."You're despicable," Tsuki accused in an uncharacteristically meek tone.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Come. I need to show you department 13's laboratory." Sebastian had seamlessly transitioned into his professional self again.

Feeling exhausted, Tsuki followed her boss without further retort. She was led down yet another hallway until the pair reached a set of steel double doors. Sebastian punched a code into the keypad on the wall and swiped his ID card. The doors slowly slid apart. Tsuki immediately wished that they hadn't opened at all.

Chaos. Absolute chaos. The lab was a disaster area. _Ground zero couldn't have looked any worse than this. _Tsuki was unable to put how horrified she was into words that were proper to say in the company of her boss so she kept quiet. The woman gawked at the overturned flasks and beakers leaking strange colored liquids. Something frothy and foamy had oozed out of a petri dish down to the floor. The walls were covered in scorch marks. The floor was riddled with pentagrams and summoning circles drawn in some dark substance that Tsuki prayed was summoner's chalk and not blood. It was as if the lab had been hit by some demonic tornado.

Still in awe, the mocha skinned woman dared to ask, "What on earth happened here?"

"Groundbreaking research," Sebastian replied. There was a hint of something akin to nostalgia in his voice. "Don't be coy. Feel free to familiarize yourself with your workspace." Tsuki almost scoffed_. I might have fallen for the encouraging boss act before I saw the sorry state of the lab or at least before he sexually harassed me within five minutes of meeting me. _Tsuki's thoughts were nothing but skeptical. She wasn't going to be so readily taken advantage of again. She would have to watch Sebastian Michaelis closely.

After donning a black lab coat, Tsuki reluctantly took a few steps into the lab. She fought the urge to jump at a ruffling sound to her right. It was just a stack of papers that had fallen over. The young woman laughed lightly at how skittish she acting.

Without thinking, Tsuki went over to the work table to rearrange the papers. At that moment, something small sprang out at her. Tsuki didn't get a good look at the creature, but she saw a distinct flash of a putrid shade of green, claws, and long fangs.

Tsuki whipped out a hidden blade that had been blessed by a priestess back home.

Before she could attempt to capture, and possibly dissect, the lesser demon, something silver darted out of nowhere, pinning the creature to the wall. _Is that a butter knife!?_ Tsuki thought incredulously.

"Not bad at all." Sebastian commented in a satisfied tone. "I'm certain that you would have been just fine even without my assistance."

Tsuki watched as the demon's body dissipated, returning to the realm from whence it came. She looked back at her sable haired boss, still stunned by his choice of weaponry. "What kind of priestess blessed a utensil?" the brown-eyed woman asked, full of genuine curiosity.

Sebastian laughed softly at her question. The sincerity of it almost softened Tsuki's impression of him. At least until he spoke again.

"Now why would I need a weapon imbued with the powers of another. The idea of someone like me using a blessed weapon is laughable. Studying magic often leads to dangerous encounters with less than pleasant creatures. I do not rely on the strength of others, as it would be pitiful to do so. One would expect nothing less of a department head." The crimson eyed man said nonchalantly. "I see that you seem to be adequately equipped to handle anything that may be lurking about. With this in mind, I am assigning you your first task as a department 13 member."

By now, Tsuki was definitely suspicious of what her boss would say next. She decided to get this over with and asked with an exasperated sigh, "What would you have me do, Mr. Michaelis?"

"You, Miss Amateresu, are charged with cleaning the laboratory. I want this place to be absolutely pristine by the start of the work day tomorrow morning."

Tsuki immediately protested. "How is anyone supposed to be responsible for cleaning up such a mess by themselves? Are you insane?"

"Of course not. I am simply one hell of a department head. See you tomorrow, Miss Amateresu. Welcome to department 13." With that, Sebastian turned on his heel and exited the lab. In her resulting silent fit of rage, Tsuki did not see her boss' face as he left, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

**A/N**: I want to give a big thank you to everyone who has read my story up to this point. I hope you're enjoying it! I'm really new at posting my stories for everybody to see so I would love it you guys would review and tell me what you think. Special thanks go out to my unofficial beta, **kenniechan, **who gives me feedback and support even at 2am :3


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'm so sorry it took so long to update. Things have been really busy lately. A special thanks to **Zero Andreasen** for such a lovely review :3

Tsuki trudged up to the door of her dorm room. Moonlight streamed in through the grand windows in the hallway. It was already 2am if not later. Tsuki was nothing short of exhausted by the time she finished cleaning the lab.

_At least that grinning bastard had the decency to write directions to my room before he abandoned me_, Tsuki thought bitterly. The young woman shuddered at the thought of her first task. Tsuki didn't know how she managed to finish cleaning in time. Up to this point, she had been fueled by raged and a desire to wipe the smirk off of Sebastian's face. Now the girl was totally drained.

Tsuki fumbled her keys with pruny fingers, trying to repress memories of filth and stray demons. She slowly opened the door after she heard the lock click. The caramel skinned woman knew she had a roommate, so she did her best to make as little noise as possible.

Tsuki's new home was more of a tiny apartment than a dorm room. A wall sconce bathed a small part of the room in a warm, low light. The light cast dark shadows over the living room furniture. The rest of the room, including the attached kitchenette, was pitch black…except for a little red light. It was if someone were aiming a laser pointer at Tsuki's forehead. The young woman tensed as she realized the danger of the situation. Someone was taking aim with a rifle. Her heart began to pound and the blood drained from her face. Despite her fear, Tsuki spoke confidently. "What a day! Over the top coworkers, a devil for a boss, and an insane workload. To top it all off, I have to deal with a sniper before bed."

A steely voice rose up, out of the darkness, to answer Tsuki. "Who are you?" The sniper demanded. The voice was unmistakably female. Tsuki clicked her tongue in annoyance. Her exhaustion outweighed any fear she previously felt. "I could ask you the same thing. I'm a new resident. I was assigned to the room so I would appreciate it if you didn't shoot me so I can go get some sleep."

The sniper gasped. "Are you Miss Amateresu?" she asked in a drastically meeker voice. "Who else would I be?" Tsuki retorted, patience wearing thin.

The newbie researcher was momentarily blinded as the lights were switched on. Tsuki blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. She definitely wasn't expecting what she would see next.

A young woman with cherry-red hair tied in pigtails and hazel eyes stood trembling behind the couch in a frilly pink nightgown, rifle still in hand. Tsuki couldn't help gaping at her pretty in pink assailant. _She's like a newborn kitten with a gun_, Tsuki thought to herself in disbelief.

The red- head became teary eyed when she realized her mistake, wailing an apology. "I'm so sorry! You startled me. I was just getting a glass of water when the door opened so late at night! I've lived in this room by myself for so long, I'm not used to anyone else coming in here. I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" The young woman was speaking so fast that Tsuki couldn't understand her anymore.

After making a mental note that her roommate had guns stashed in the room, she interrupted the girl's perpetual apology. "Please, stop apologizing. You didn't hurt me so it's okay. I'm the one who should apologize for coming in so late. I'm sorry for scaring you, Miss…"

The smaller woman panicked a little when she realized that she hadn't introduced herself yet. "How rude of me! Please call me 'Mey-Rin' ", she said with a curtsy. Tsuki bowed lightly. "It's nice to meet you Mey-Rin. Please call me 'Tsuki'. I'd love to talk with you more in the morning but I really want to get some sleep." The black-haired woman said tiredly. Mey-Rin nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Your room is the door on the right. The bathroom is down that little hallway."

Tsuki bid the girl goodnight and went to her new bedroom. She was too tired to bother looking around. Thankfully the bed was already made. After dropping her bags in the corner, Tsuki flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She didn't turn on the lights so the only light in the room once again came from the moonlight, peeking through a crack in the curtains of a small window.

Tsuki had been on the move since she stepped off the train that morning. Now she was left alone with her thoughts in silence. So much had happened on her first day. She smiled thinking about Miss Grell's antics. She blushed at the memory of Baldroy's kiss. Tsuki couldn't get Bard out of her head since she met the man. The gorgeous guy that she never imagined that she would ever have a chance with was suddenly closer to her than ever before.

While thinking about how she felt about Bard, a silky voice and a pair of red eyes popped into her mind. Tsuki blushed hard as she remembered her encounter with Sebastian. She immediately felt guilty_. I will not let my feeling be swayed by that demon bastard! He's not going to ruin my fairy tale ending with Baldroy_. Smirking to herself about how she would one day win against Michaelis, Tsuki drifted off to sleep.

**A/N:** _Sorry it's a little short. More characters will be introduced in the next chapter. Thank you for reading!_


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